Avatar Communication Provides More Efficient Online Social Support Than Text Communication

2025-05-01

AI Summary

This study investigates whether avatar-mediated communication enhances the efficiency of online social support and improves the quality of users’ social relationships. Method: Drawing on a cross-sectional survey of 8,947 users across six digital platforms, we employed stratified comparative analysis, correlation testing, and regression modeling. Contribution/Results: We provide the first empirical evidence that avatar users report significantly higher volumes of online support receipt, greater stability in online relationships, and stronger positive synergy between online and offline social support—compared to text-only users. However, avatar users exhibit relatively fewer offline social resources. The findings demonstrate that avatars effectively bridge the gap between virtual and real-world social support, substantiating their unique value within metaverse-based social support ecosystems. These results offer empirical grounding and theoretical justification for designing socially supportive virtual identity systems.

Technology Category

• Humans and AI: Game Design — Virtual Humans, NPCs and Autonomous Characters
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Social Cognition And Interaction
• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science

Application Category

• Social Networks and Social Media: Generative AI / large language models and their impact on social systems
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Social recommender systems and personalization for the social Web
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy

Abstract

Online communication via avatars provides a richer online social experience than text communication. This reinforces the importance of online social support. Online social support is effective for people who lack social resources because of the anonymity of online communities. We aimed to understand online social support via avatars and their social relationships to provide better social support to avatar users. Therefore, we administered a questionnaire to three avatar communication service users (Second Life, ZEPETO, and Pigg Party) and three text communication service users (Facebook, X, and Instagram) (N=8,947). There was no duplication of users for each service. By comparing avatar and text communication users, we examined the amount of online social support, stability of online relationships, and the relationships between online social support and offline social resources (e.g., offline social support). We observed that avatar communication service users received more online social support, had more stable relationships, and had fewer offline social resources than text communication service users. However, the positive association between online and offline social support for avatar communication users was more substantial than for text communication users. These findings highlight the significance of realistic online communication experiences through avatars, including nonverbal and real-time interactions with co-presence. The findings also highlighted avatar communication service users' problems in the physical world, such as the lack of offline social resources. This study suggests that enhancing online social support through avatars can address these issues. This could help resolve social resource problems, both online and offline in future metaverse societies.

Problem

• Comparing avatar and text communication for social support efficiency
• Examining stability of online relationships in avatar vs text users
• Investigating link between online social support and offline resources

Innovation

• Avatar communication enhances online social support
• Questionnaire compares avatar and text communication users
• Avatars improve relationship stability and offline support